Showing posts with label American Apparel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Apparel. Show all posts

American Apparel Butter & BM10

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today's Nails of the Day is American Apparel Butter with a pattern from Bundle Monster Plate BM10 stamped in Psyche Pink Konad Special Polish.

Butter is a pale yellow creme and applied, well, like butter.  It was good in two coats with no problems.

American Apparel Butter
American Apparel Butter Nail Polish, Two Coats

It looked a little plain though, so I added some little flowers from plate BM10.

American Apparel Butter Nail Polish with BM10
American Apparel Butter Nail Polish, Two Coats, with BM10 in Psyche Pink

That's it for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  


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Pink Manicures

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have some pink manicures to show you, one from last week, and today's in two parts.

The one from last week is CND Sweet, a carnation pink creme, which was a two-coater, topped with one coat of CND Sugar Sparkle, a white sparkle polish with little white flaky bits in it.  This is with top coat.

CND Sweet Nail Polish with CND Sugar Sparkle
CND Sweet Nail Polish, Two Coats, with One Coat CND Sugar Sparkle

Today's is in two parts because I started with the base color, American Apparel Coney Island, yesterday.  After more acetone and whitening products, I got the green from Malibu Green off of my skin, but I didn't take the picture until this morning.  One thing I noticed in selecting a picture was that at the outside corner of my thumb nail, I have a little chip already, which is no good.  However, Coney Island is a pretty color and a $5 two-coater, so I can live with it.

American Apparel Coney Island
American Apparel Coney Island Nail Polish, Two Coats

I'm wearing pink and black today, so I added a tip pattern to Coney Island in Konad Black Pearl Special Polish from Konad plate M80.  It's a little cutesy, but hearts are where my mood is these days.

American Apparel Coney Island Nail Polish and Konad M80
American Apparel Coney Island Nail Polish, Two Coats, with Konad M80

Those are the pink manicures I have to show you, and that's about it for today.  Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  


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A Tale of Two Cities

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I'm not really going to make up a tale of two cities, just today's Nails of the Day is two polishes with cities in their names, and I couldn't resist the title.

The first part of the manicure is American Apparel Malibu Green, a blue green creme.  This one barely needed two coats for me.  Here it is complete with top coat.

American Apparel Malibu Green
American Apparel Malibu Green Nail Polish, Two Coats

I'd planned to Konad it, but ran into my bottle of China Glaze Atlantis while Malibu Green was drying, and thought a coat of Atlantis over it would be fun.  I added one coat of Atlantis and another coat of top coat, and it's pretty smooth with just the one coat of top coat over Atlantis.  I selected a picture without the most clear focus to give you a hint at how holo Atlantis is - it's much more so in person.

China Glaze Atlantis Nail Polish over Malibu Green
China Glaze Atlantis Nail Polish, One Coat over American Apparel Malibu Green

That's my glitterific Nails of the Day.  Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  


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American Apparel L'Esprit & Konad M74

Good morning, Dear Reader!

This week I got my first American Apparel nail polishes after they recently had a free shipping code - I got a couple of the 3 for $15 sets.  I figured for $5 each, if I hated any or they were broken in transit, it was no great loss.

I'd gotten the packages earlier in the week, but was reluctant to open them after reading many accounts of the bottles of polish being thrown in a box with no padding at all and being broken, so I just opened them this morning.  It turns out whoever packed my boxes, three sent separately,was a little compulsive with the bubble wrap.  Each bottle was like a little ball of bubble wrap encased in packing tape - they were very safely packed with no casualties.

The one I tried first, today's Nails of the Day, was L'Esprit, a bluish lavender creme (all of the American Apparel polishes are cremes, I think).  I was wary of the brush, as it looked a little moppy, but it worked great - very easy to control.  The polish was a bit thick and very well pigmented with one coat being almost sufficient, so I used two coats.  I thought it needed a little something when I finished, so I stamped it with a pattern from Konad plate M74 using Konad Violet Pearl Special Polish.

American Apparel L'Esprit and Konad M74
American Apparel L'Esprit Nail Polish, Two Coats, and Konad M74 in Konad Violet Pearl

I saw the smudge of the Konad polish on my ring finger before selecting a picture, but was surprised that there are other smudges.  They show in the magnified pictures, but not just looking at my nails.

I've been a holdout on the American Apparel polished for a while now, but I'm really impressed with this one.  The only thing I can complain about is the company selling them, but I don't like to whine about that kind of thing here.  If you don't know what I mean, Google for articles about their CEO, advertising, and hiring practices, and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.  As far as the product itself, no complaints at all, I like it.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  


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New Summer Shades From American Apparel!

I noticed some new shades on American Apparel's web site and they look perfect for summer! They also have added a top coat to their polish collection. I want all of them, but I have so many untried's lined up, I'm going to try to hold off. How about you? Do you see any you might want?

American Apparel Expands its Nail Polish Collection with Six New Colors

LOS ANGELES -- American Apparel (Amex: APP), the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, is announcing the addition of six new colors to its successful line of nail polish. The company timed and designed the expansion of American Apparel Nail Lacquer for the upcoming summer season.

The colors continue the theme of representing the brand and the culture which surrounds it. A khaki shade called "California Trooper" alludes to the uniforms of the ubiquitous California Highway Patrol, while "Malibu Green" is inspired by the colors found near the company's store on the historic Pacific Coast Highway. Other colors like "Summer Peach" and "Butter" are now also an available option for some of the company's classic garments, including the Pique Tennis Shirt, 4-Way Stretch Side Zipper Pants and Dov's Hoody. The line will feature the release of a base/top coat, a much-requested addition that will bring an extra layer of protection and gloss to the nail lacquer.

"The first 18 colors of our nail polish line were an experiment˜we picked colors that were beautiful and didn't set out to necessarily match them with anything. For summer, we saw an opportunity not only to add a few new colors, but also to develop some fresh shades that can coordinate with the tones of our new styles. We're proud that by listening to the feedback of our employees, customers and the online community, we were able to create a summer range that incorporates their ideas and expresses the palette we presented this season," said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer has been an exciting success for the company as it has expanded its aesthetic into new areas and styles. The initial run of 18 colors and 50,000 bottles quickly sold out worldwide and developed a loyal following of fashion bloggers and polish artists. By working with a California manufacturer near its headquarters in Los Angeles, American Apparel continues its commitment to the idea of Made in USA polish and hopes the new colors will be met with the same glowing reviews.

"The public has had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to our nail polish collection and we're excited about these new additions. As we translate our basics model to fashionable pieces and new kinds of products, we remain dedicated to maintaining the same level of quality and dependability that we're known for. The colors have the potential to enhance outfits in both classic and atypical ways and we're really look forward to seeing how people wear them," Brady said.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer is priced at $6 per bottle and is available in a 3-pack for $15. It is sold at American Apparel stores worldwide as well as online. The nail polish is DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free. The full color range, ingredients and photographs can be found in the American Apparel web store.


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4 More (and the last!) American Apparel Swatches

Finally! The last of my American Apparel swatches are finished. We had a busy weekend doing things around the house, so I felt the need to unwind a bit with some painting of the nails. I used 2 coats on all of these, and the only one that I had a bit of a problem with was Dynasty--it was a little on the thick side.

Above: Poppy is an instant favorite for me. Bright, vivid, not too red, not too orange, a hint of coral, and great coverage. I think this would also make a great pedicure color.
Below: Passport Blue is a deep shade of indigo that to me, appears to also have some very dark teal undertones.
Below: Peacock is aptly named. This is a bit of a muted tone, but still plenty pea-cocky!
Below: Dynasty is a medium lilac with plenty of grey mixed in. For some reason, my bottle was pretty separated and it had about 3/8" of grey at the top that took forever to shake it out!
As I mentioned, I used 2 coats on these, but in actuality, I could have gotten away with just one on a number of these shades and others that I've posted previously. The formula on these is wonderful, and even though thinner was needed for a couple of them, that won't deter me from picking up more of these if they come out with some new shades. I would love to see them come out with some other finishes, although they did a fantastic job with a creme finish--and cremes are not my favorites when it comes to the application.


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Anna Sui Nail Color 001

Good morning, Dear Reader!

To start off a new work week, I changed my polish to one that's far less attention-grabbing than a neon yellow.  I looked through some untried colors and found Anna Sui 001, which is a kind of sheer off-white base loaded up with lots of fine flaky glitter, and of course, being made by Anna Sui, is lightly rose scented.  Since I wanted the manicure to be opaque, I used a base shade that was close to the Anna Sui in an opaque cream, American Apparel Cotton.  Cotton took two coats and was a still bit blotchy after the second, but I figured the Anna Sui would even that out, and it did when I added two coats of it.  Finishing with one coat of top coat smoothed everything out nicely.  Here it is in the best sunlight I saw yesterday.

Anna Sui Nail Color 001
Anna Sui Nail Color 001 over American Apparel Cotton, Two Coats Each

This turned out much better than I'd expected at the start.  Since I used a white background for the picture, the color looks distinctly off-white, but without real white nearby for comparison, the polish gives the impression of being white without being stark.  I think the addition of the glittery Anna Sui makes it far more interesting and appealing to me than American Apparel Cotton would be on its own.  I'm quite pleased with the result, and I hope it holds up for a few days do I can add Konad  to it, as I'd hoped to but didn't get around to adding to the last few.

I found a few good things in that little box of untrieds I stumbled upon, so I set aside a few of them to show you soon.  I also found some odd items, such as a refill bottle of Seche Clear base coat, which I don't currently use and don't recall ever using regularly.  All I remember about the stuff is that my nails stained easily when I used it, so I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing with a big refill bottle of it.  I wish I'd tape a note explaining why I've chosen to own something before placing it in a box!

That's the scoop for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you! 


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5 American Apparel Swatches & Some Dupes

I ordered almost all of the American Apparel polishes when they first came out, and today I'm finally swatching some more of them. I didn't return mine when they had the recall, and so far, so good! I did notice a chip in the corner of Mount Royal's bottle, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't explode anytime soon. I also found a dupe to RBL's Chinoise and Color Club's Charity Ball, from their Rebel Debutante Collection.

Above: Factory Grey is a perfect mid-tone gray creme. I used 2 coats on all of these with the exception of Pinto, which was 3 coats. The application was excellent on all of them.
Above: Berry is a burgundy shade that borders on being a deep fuchsia.
Above: Mount Royal shows up a little brighter in my photo than in real life. It's a cadet blue with the slightest 'dusty' look to it.
Above: Pinto, a rust colored creme, required 3 coats. It wasn't quite as opaque as the others, but these polishes seem to dry fairly fast.
Above & Below: Pinto reminded me of Color Club's Charity Ball as soon as I started swatching it. I put one coat of it over Pinto on my ring finger (below), and I couldn't tell the difference.
Below: Downtown LA is the perfect red creme.
Below: I'm wearing RBL's Chinoise on my toes, and Downtown LA immediately reminded me of Chinoise. I didn't think it would be a dead-on dupe, but as you can see, they are extremely close.
Below: I painted 2 coats of the RBL over the American Apparel on my ring finger, and again, I couldn't tell the difference. Both shades are my vision of a perfect pure red creme.
You can search my American Apparel label for some of their other shades I've swatched if you're interested. I still have 4 more to go, so I'd better stay on it! These are very nice polishes, and although a few that I'd swatched previously seemed just a bit on the thick side (nothing that thinner couldn't fix), these five were perfection. Did any of you end up keeping your original polishes before the recall? If so, have you had any problems with the bottles?


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Part II: American Apparel Polishes-Mouse, Hunter & Manila

Above & Below: Mouse, shown above in direct sunlight and below with a flash, is a warm-toned grey-beige shade, or a light taupe. All photos are shown using 2 coats.
Below: A quick bottle comparison shows you that Mouse is quite similar in shade level to Orly's Country Club Khaki, although it's a richer and warmer shade. Orly's Prince Charming and OPI's You Don't Know Jacques are to the right of Country Club Khaki.
Below: Hunter is a deep Forest green shade, but not so dark that it looks black.
Below: Another bottle comparison. Orly's Enchanted Forest is the closest match I have, while Sephora by OPI offers a much darker hue with Dark Room.
Below: Manila, even after adding a few drops of thinner, is still a little thick. In it's praise, I'll tell you that for a yellow shade, which are notorious for streaking, this one applied very well and gave an opaque look with just 2 coats. The photo is showing this shade a little brighter than it truly is, and for classification purposes, I would call it a Goldenrod yellow.
I have 3 more reader request swatches for you from American Apparel's recently released polish collection. You can find the first 3 I posted just below this post. There are 18 colors in this debut offering, and I believe they are all cremes. The shades are actually standard colors as far as colors go (take a look in the 96 piece Crayon box), but not so standard with regard to nail polish colors. That's what I like about these the most, is that very few of them are close to anything else I have in my collection. I did add thinner to all of them after having problems with a somewhat thick formula on my first swatches, and that made a big difference in a good way. Manila is still thicker than what I'd like, but I can fix that later. Otherwise, 2 coats gave me a very nice finished look, and the drying time was good. Yesterday I shared an excerpt from AA's press release, which gave the origin of some of the shades and their names. I don't know the origin of these 3, but I'm most curious about Mouse.

Here's some additional interesting information about the manufacturing aspect of this polish, again, from their press release:

For the initial run of bottles, which will be sold exclusively in American Apparel shops worldwide, the creative directors found a true family-operated nail polish manufacturer in New York City with whom they instantly connected. Together they worked to develop a beautiful high-quality polish using the techniques and secrets the family had been using since the early 1970's--symbolized best by the 91-year-old grandmother who still fills the bottles.

"It was important to us that we work with a domestic manufacturer who had a long history in the business. Like our clothing, the palette is intended for year-round use. It's a painterly range of colors designed for long-term appeal and creative interpretation. We put equal focus on making sure the polish and the colors were both durable and beautiful," said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

The part about the 91-year-old grandmother still filling the bottles is pretty impressive. It sounds like American Apparel did everything right with their foray into nail polish, from the color choices, to finding an American manufacturer with deep roots in the industry. I wanted to mention that one of my readers left a comment yesterday that these polishes are indeed available in the 3/$15.00 pack pricing online. I had called when I placed my order about that, but at the time, they weren't offering a price break on multiple bottles. I could've gotten 3 more bottles at that rate, and then I would have had them all. Oh well!


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American Apparel Polishes: Rose Bowl, Palm Springs & Office

Above: Rose Bowl is a subtle Carnation pink shade with slight salmon undertones.
Below: Palm Springs is a flesh-toned shade that could also be considered a very pale melon.
Below: Office is a true Mint green. It's more subtle than Chanel Jade, and less blue-toned than Essie's Mint Candy Apple. All photos are shown using 2 coats.
Tonight I'm starting in on the reader requests I received when I posted a photo of the American Apparel polishes I received earlier this week, and I'll be posting more tomorrow. You can view my original post here. I'd like to state for that record that I don't enjoy using pastel cremes, because I find them difficult to apply, which is evident in the photos. That's not to say I don't like the way they look (on other people!), however. I did find the formula on all three of these to be slightly thicker than I prefer, so I've since added thinner to them and that seems to have solved the problem. Delaynee requested the 3 I'm showing tonight, Rose Bowl, Palm Springs and Office. Cali369, Kelsey and Lucy also wanted to see Office, so once again, Mint green is a popular shade.

A little information about this new line from American Apparel...other than the slightly thick formula, I had no issues with these. I love the bottle shape, they are full sized at 0.5 fl. oz., and they retail for $6.00 each. I ordered mine online and signed up for their newsletter, which gave me 15% off. I believe they're priced the same in-store, but you have the option there of getting them 3/$15.00. The brush is a little on the narrow side, but it didn't cause a problem. The handle is shorter and smaller in diameter than most polishes. It felt very dainty and delicate in my hand during the application. In fact, I couldn't find a handle in my collection that was this small. Again, not a problem, just an observation.

Here's a portion of the press release which discusses the naming of some of the colors. I think the shades are quite unusual, and after reading this, I understand a little more about how they came up the colors.

Each of the 18 colors in the primary offering evokes an important part of American Apparel. One is the color of raw cotton, while another--a minty green color called Office--was matched to the color of an accounting notepad found on the seventh floor of American Apparel's headquarters. Factory Grey is the actual shade used to paint all floors of the company's manufacturing operations, while Hassis--dark black--is a nod to American Apparel's Jewish roots. Even the collection's custom shade of red, "Downtown L.A.", took the area where the factory is located as it's inspiration.

It's refreshing to me that they put so much thought and meaning into the names and shades. In my world, everything has to have a meaning, and 'why' is a constant question! It will be interesting to see if they bring out additional shades in the future. By calling it 'the primary offering', it gives me hope that they will.


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Updates: Up & Away Contest Deadline, New & Old Bloggers, and more!

That's my 'Tower of Shame' photo, because I'm a little ashamed to have gotten this many American Apparel polishes! These arrived a couple of days ago, but really, I have no shame because I had a gift card and 15% off, as well as free shipping. I'm excited to start swatching these because the shades are not your usual pink and reds, but rather a diverse selection of colors that you don't always see. If there are any that you would like to see first, just leave me a note in the comments section.

I had a couple of things I wanted to mention...I keep a list of thoughts and ideas for my blog and the list is getting rather long, so here are some of those thoughts...if you haven't already entered the January giveaway, the deadline is fast approaching. One winner will receive the entire China Glaze Up & Away set and the deadline for entries is January 8. Check out the 'January Contest' box in the upper left corner for details. The Friday Follower Freebie contest I introduced last month has proved to be very popular. For those of you who have eMailed me about missing the deadline due to late receipt of the post in you eMail subscription or feed, worry no more! Beginning this Friday, I'll change the entry deadline from Fridays at midnight, to Saturdays at midnight. I really enjoy thinking up which products to include that I think would appeal to everyone, so thank you for playing along with me!

The other items I wanted to mention involve blogging. I follow well over 120 blogs and because I'm lazy and busy, I often neglect to add a blog to my blog roll when I add it to my reader. I try to go through my blog roll every couple of months and delete those who haven't posted in 2-3 months, so if you'd like your blog added to my blog roll, which is a great way to gain more exposure by being listed on other blogs, please don't hesitate to send me an eMail or leave a comment below, and I'll be happy to add you. Along those lines, I receive many eMails from new bloggers looking for advice on how to let other nail fanatics know that they have a blog. It makes me feel bad that they're getting discouraged because no one know they're out there. One way that helped me tremendously when I first started my blog, was that unbeknownst to me, Brooke from Getcha Nails Did made a post about a contest I was having. I didn't know Brooke at the time, nor did I realize that she was a champion for all bloggers, both old and new. She graciously posts "New Blogs on the Block" weekly, so send an eMail her way if you'd like her to announce you, and experience the power that is Brooke!

Continuing that idea, is a thought I've had for a while now to invite guest bloggers to my blog. If you're a blogger of nails or beauty products of any kind and would be interested in doing a guest post, please send me an eMail and we'll get to work on it. Even if you're not a blogger and you'd just like to share your nails or Face of the Day with us, you're more than welcome. While we're at it, even the big name bloggers, polish creators (Essie and Suzi, I'm talking to you!), and celebrity manicurists are welcome! I'm sure I'll get lots of responses from all of them~ha-ha! I think this would be a fun way to get to know each other better, as well as giving some exposure to those of you looking to grow your presence in the blogging community. I haven't accomplished too much in this life of mine without the help of others along the way, so if I can help any of you out, just let me know. The kindness of the blogging community has always impressed me tremendously, and I'm just happy to be a part of it.


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